Combinatorial Solutions Providing Improved Security for the Generalized Russian Cards Problem

We present the first formal mathematical presentation of the generalized Russian cards problem, and provide rigorous security definitions that capture both basic and extended versions of weak and perfect security notions. In the generalized Russian cards problem, three players, Alice, Bob, and Cathy, are dealt a deck of $n$ cards, each given $a$, $b$, and $c$ cards, respectively. The goal is for Alice and Bob to learn each other's hands via public communication, without Cathy learning the fate of any particular card. The basic idea is that Alice announces a set of possible hands she might hold, and Bob, using knowledge of his own hand, should be able to learn Alice's cards from this announcement, but Cathy should not. Using a combinatorial approach, we are able to give a nice characterization of informative strategies (i.e., strategies allowing Bob to learn Alice's hand), having optimal communication complexity, namely the set of possible hands Alice announces must be equivalent to a large set of $t-(n, a, 1)$-designs, where $t=a-c$. We also provide some interesting necessary conditions for certain types of deals to be simultaneously informative and secure. That is, for deals satisfying $c = a-d$ for some $d \geq 2$, where $b \geq d-1$ and the strategy is assumed to satisfy a strong version of security (namely perfect $(d-1)$-security), we show that $a = d+1$ and hence $c=1$. We also give a precise characterization of informative and perfectly $(d-1)$-secure deals of the form $(d+1, b, 1)$ satisfying $b \geq d-1$ involving $d-(n, d+1, 1)$-designs

Extended Combinatorial Constructions for Peer-to-peer User-Private Information Retrieval

We consider user-private information retrieval (UPIR), an interesting alternative to private information retrieval (PIR) introduced by Domingo-Ferrer et al. In UPIR, the database knows which records have been retrieved, but does not know the identity of the query issuer. The goal of UPIR is to disguise user profiles from the database. Domingo-Ferrer et al.\ focus on using a peer-to-peer community to construct a UPIR scheme, which we term P2P UPIR. In this paper, we establish a strengthened model for P2P UPIR and clarify the privacy goals of such schemes using standard terminology from the field of privacy research. In particular, we argue that any solution providing privacy against the database should attempt to minimize any corresponding loss of privacy against other users. We give an analysis of existing schemes, including a new attack by the database. Finally, we introduce and analyze two new protocols. Whereas previous work focuses on a special type of combinatorial design known as a configuration, our protocols make use of more general designs. This allows for flexibility in protocol set-up, allowing for a choice between having a dynamic scheme (in which users are permitted to enter and leave the system), or providing increased privacy against other users.Comment: Updated version, which reflects reviewer comments and includes expanded explanations throughout. Paper is accepted for publication by Advances in Mathematics of Communication

Public Service Anouncements and the Fight Against AIDS: A Survey of Radio Broadcasters\u27 Attitudes and Policies

A pilot study surveyed radio broadcasters in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas to further an understanding of their role as gatekeepers for public service announcements (PSA) to educate audiences about AIDS and bring about safe behavior. A total of 300 stations were in the sample. Respondents were asked to provide information about their stations and their stations\u27 use of HIV/AIDS PSAs. Most broadcasters reported using HIV/AIDS PSAs (76.1%). About one-third of broadcasters who reported not using the PSAs claimed they had never been offered any such announcements to broadcast. Most respondents agreed that HIV/AIDS is a significant national and local public health threat (almost 70% reported knowing someone with HIV or AIDS). Yet many broadcasters expressed reservations about the ability of PSAs to effect necessary behavioral change in the audience. Statistically significant differences were found between broadcasters who use PSAs and those who do not, in five areas which relate to message content and acceptance by audiences. (Contains 33 references; appendixes list stations for survey (by market) and provide a breakdown of how the survey instrument addressed the questions. Survey instrument is also attached.) (Author/NKA

Administration and Orientation of Undergraduate Journalism Education: Variables Affecting Best Fit Between Higher Education Institutions and Programs

This paper addresses different perspectives on the best administrative \u27home\u27 for undergraduate journalism education, from administrative and curriculum perspectives. The paper begins by reviewing the history of journalism as a college discipline--showing that even from its earliest years, the founders of the field disagreed on administrative and curriculum emphases. Some variables which affect \u27best fit\u27 between discipline, institution, and program today are cited--they include individual academic program and goals, the institutional academic culture, collegiate organizational structure and bureaucracy, and external environmental variables. Finally, the paper reviews typical organizational structures chosen by higher education institutions today, as they continue to struggle with where journalism belongs in academe

Toward a Policy for Managing the Use of Computer Mediated Communication in the Workplace

Noting that there has been tremendous growth in the number of businesses and not-for-profit organizations which have become equipped with computers and have empowered workers to communicate with them, this paper sheds light on policy issues related to managing the use of computer mediated communication (CMC). The paper first summarizes CMC\u27s impact on the organizational, social, and technical environment. The paper looks at issues of CMC content and access, to illustrate the diversity of opinion about the assembly and legal ownership of CMC messages in the workplace. The paper then examines varying opinions about access to, and editorial control over, CMC messages. The paper looks at several business and educational organizations in which management and subordinates have encountered difficulty when attempting to define operational boundaries for the use of CMC, noting that academic institutions have made the decision to uphold the rights of the individual CMC users over that of the organization at large. The paper concludes with the posing of a series of questions that may help in the development of policies that can bring about more effective organizational control of CMC. (Contains 87 references.) (RS

Health and Wealth and the World Wide Web: Leading renewalist ministries\u27 use of Web to communicate social order

Renewalist Christian ministries espouse a “Health andWealth” theology that is embraced by increasing numbers of believers. This study investigated leading renewalist ministries’WorldWideWeb sites to assess their application of visual, operational, and informational enhancements to communicate social order. A content analysis revealed a communication of social order that is consistent with prosperity theology. Much emphasis is placed on the appearance and personality of the ministry leader. Almost no attention is paid to traditional Christian symbolism. Web sites claimed the value of inclusiveness, but offered little visual representation of children, senior adults, the poor, and people of color. Sites communicated the importance of regular financial donations and product purchases, but offered no encouragement for local church attendance. This research provides limited insight into some key unanswered scholarly questions about use of the Web by religious organizations, but more work is needed to investigate these issues in a broader context

\u27Neither Cold nor Hot\u27: An Analysis of Christian World Wide Web Sites That Address GLBT Publics

This research analyzes Christian Web sites addressing gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered public. The study involved content analysis of visual, operational, and informational enhancements and a frame analysis to assess issues of intent, consistency, accuracy, and validity. Web sites emphasized information dissemination rather than evangelization or proselytization; were overwhelmingly framed as collections of linked resources, rather than as online destinations for users seeking spiritual comfort; were almost completely devoid of traditional Christian symbols, scripture, and testimony; and failed to acknowledge in depth the complex debate over same-sex relationships

The Frequency Spectrum and Geometry of the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum Appear Tuned

The Hal Saflieni Hypogeum is a unique subterranean Maltese Neolithic sanctuary with a well-documented history of interest in its acoustics. Previous studies have noted its unusual strongly-defined frequency spectrum, but it is unknown if this was coincidental. In this paper, we present evidence that the Hypogeum's creators shaped the site's geometry to create or amplify its frequency spectrum, or another property closely correlated with the spectrum. Specifically, we show that the observed spectrum required jointly fine-tuning the dimensions of multiple non-contiguous cave walls across multiple independent chambers, to a degree that seems unlikely to be coincidental. We also note that the peak frequencies are evenly spaced and resemble a whole-tone scale in music, which is also unlikely to be coincidental and suggests the spectrum itself might have held some cultural significance. Taken together, it suggests acoustic or spectral properties may have played a motivational or cultural role for the site's Neolithic creators. This work identifies one of the earliest known examples of a manmade structure with a significant musical element to its interior architecture.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures. Accepted to Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports (2020

Barriers to Post-Secondary Success

This study reviews factors that prior studies have identified or failed to consider as barriers to post-secondary success. The three main areas include academic success for Latinx students after high school, organizational systems and their impact on African-American students’ postsecondary readiness, and what workers think of their high school education with regards to career preparedness. Five factors are identified as major barriers for Latinx students to continue in a higher education system. A survey of former students from Saint Louis, Missouri, and Dallas, Texas, metroplex area identified 56 Latinx students that participated in an initial survey. This led to a follow-up survey with 16 former students from the first group. Four Latinx students were selected to be part of a face-to-face interview where the qualitative study of this project was derived. College Preparation Programs play a major role in the success of post-secondary education opportunities. The lack of these successful programs is responsible for some of the barriers to post-secondary success that inner-city minority students may face while trying to transition from high school and on to Colleges and Universities. Further exploration of perspectives of high school graduates on college preparation programs have led to the creation of a survey of former St. Louis City Public Schools high school graduates. The survey collected 20 student perspectives. The absence of research on post-secondary education success from the perspective of workers led to a nationwide online survey of workers in the construction industry that produced 175 responses. The survey was followed up with 12 more detailed interviews with construction workers in the St. Louis area. Together the survey and interviews identified whether construction workers believe their high school education prepared them for success in their choice careers, and whether they are preparing current students better, or worse, and what secondary education systems need to do differently to improve students\u27 success in this industry. The authors hope that their studies will help to provide insights to enlightenment for curriculum changes needed to support post-secondary success for underserved and minority populations